Tipsy
by Spoiler94
Summary: What happens at The Haunt stays at The Haunt


The guys had been at the Old Haunt for a while. Ryan and Esposito were on beer number five, and Castle was still on his first scotch. After leaving Kate at the precinct he wasn't in quite as good of a mood to celebrate. She was so impressed with her gift. Her warm smile, her opening up to him about her memories with her mother. She looked so peaceful and happy. Then the phone just HAD to ring, with Dr Motorcycle Boy's picture popping up. He knew that this was his cue so he exited to join the guys.

What he didn't know was that Esposito had sent Lanie a text to meet them there, and she arrived expecting to see Kate as well. Lanie saw Castle's somber mood and pulled up a seat next to him.

"Why the long face Castle? You look like your puppy just got hit by a car."

Castle grinned at Lanie's remark. She could make comparisons to anything. Surely she had some type of writing background. "Nice to see you too Lanie. Didn't know you be joining us this evening.".

Lanie knew that with Kate not there, it was obvious who the invitation was from. They were still keeping their relationship out of the public eye, but realized that everyone knew already. "Well if I'd known it was a boys night I may have declined. Where's Beckett? Javi - I mean Detective Esposito said that you were walking over to invite her."

Castle sighed. "Josh called just as I was about to ask. I figured that they already had plans so I didn't bother asking."

Just then Lanie's phone chimed with a text from Kate and she excused herself to text her back.

Lanie called Kate to see what was up. Kate hadn't replied back to her invitation to join them. Castle said that she had a call from Josh right before he left, and Lanie knew that Josh was not being very accepting of their break up. Kate answered on the first ring.

"Lanie I'm so glad you called. Why can he not leave me alone? I tell him I'm not in love with him. I tell him that it's over. But he won't quit calling!"

Lanie understood. Josh was not calling in a possessive way. He just didn't see the changes that everyone at the 12th were seeing in the dynamic between Kate and Castle. "Kate honey, just quit answering the phone when the boy calls. He will finally take the hint."

"I tried that Lanie and when I got home tonight his bike was parked in front of my building."

"Did you go upstairs?" Lanie asked, suddenly concerned for her friend.

"No, I left. I didn't want to deal with the drama. But I can't stay away forever - that's my damn apartment!".

Lanie felt for the girl. This was her first breakup with the 'clingy' type. They eventually got over it, but it just took a lot of ignoring. "Listen - I've got an idea. Meet us at the Haunt, then come stay at my place tonight. He will be gone by morning and you can decide what to do from there. He will take the hint eventually and go on."

Kate agreed, and started on her way to meet her friends. She wouldn't be very much fun, but she would be surrounded by friends.

Lanie turned around to see Castle walking out the door. Just as well, she thought, Kate wouldn't want to see him tonight with everything else going on. Lanie knew that the lightbulbs were coming on for both of them, but it would still take some time after Kate's break up before she would be ready to dive back in, and this time Lanie would make sure to steer her and Castle to one another.

Kate soon joined her friends and relished the company. They had not been out together in a while and the stress of the recent cases was taking its toll. The lightness and theatrics of the suspects in the Temptation Lane case had made for a fun evening, with them each taking turns imitating the suspects. If they hadn't been laughing so hard, they might have noticed the elbow to the ribs that Esposito gave Ryan when he started to discuss his distraction during one interview, but luckily Lanie was distracted by the door opening to see Dr. Motorcycle Boy walk in and start scanning the room.

Lanie got Kate out of the room and the bartender agreed to let them go downstairs to Rick's office to avoid the situation. Nick was new and was just learning all of the regulars, but hadn't yet realized their association with the owner.

Ryan and Esposito headed Josh off and into a booth to talk to the doc. They assured him that Kate was fine and she knew her heart and knew what she wanted. Esposito, being the protective big brother that he was, also reminded Josh that if Kate said no that he needed to listen to her and leave her alone. Javier knew about the break up through Lanie, but Ryan was just playing along, knowing he would get the details later. Josh finally agreed to let things die down for a while, and mentioned going on a DWoB mission to take his mind off things.

Meanwhile, Kate and Lanie sat in Castle's office retreat. He used it often when he needed to get away from his apartment for a different perspective on his writing. Lanie noticed several wine bottles in a private rack behind the desk and asked for a couple of glasses. The bartender brought them and told them to relax for a while, that he would let them know when their unwanted guest was gone. Nick had taken a shine to the beautiful brunette that had graced the owner's office, and winked at her as he turned to walk up the stairs. Lanie and Kate enjoyed the wine, which they noticed did not have a label but was some of the best they'd had in a while. They talked and laughed, losing track of time but enjoying each other's company like they hadn't in a long while.

Castle had loaded up his laptop and power cords into his backpack. The sight of his mother making out on the couch with a former lover had him too distracted to write at home, so he thought he'd go to his quiet retreat for a while to clear his thoughts and try to polish off a few chapters. He rounded the corner to the Haunt just after Josh had pulled away. Ryan and Esposito had left too, thinking that Kate and Lanie had snuck out the back when Josh appeared. Castle entered his bar, and waved hello to the other bartenders on duty. He asked how the new guy was fitting in and they said good, that he was bringing some replenishment stock from the back. They didn't know about the beautiful refugees taking sanctuary downstairs in Rick's office.

As he started down the stairs, he saw the lights on and heard the laughter. He wondered if his new bartender had tried to show off for some of the ladies, but was pleasantly suprised to see Kate and Lanie seated on the leather couch, so lost in their laughter that they hadn't noticed him enter the room.

"So, since when did my office become the private party room? And why wasn't I invited?" Castle asked, startling the girls who were tipsy from the wine. It had a little more kick to it than they had realized and they were finishing up the bottle.

Kate blushed even more, and Lanie decided to make herself scarce. "Lanie can I call you a cab? You know you're in no condition to drive."

"That won't be necessary" Esposito said descending the stairs. "I'll make sure she has a police escort home.". He hadn't seen her outside and when he came back in Nick directed him downstairs.

"Why Detective Esposito, I'm glad the citizens of New York can feel so safe under your protection" Lanie said with a giggle and walked up the stairs with him following. "Does this mean you'll be using the handcuffs? I'd love a strip search." Kate and Castle burst out laughing, knowing they would have fun with those comments for the next month.

A silence fell on the room after they heard the door close at the top of the stairs. It was well after 1, but the team had the next three days off so no one was in any hurry to get home, except for Ryan who hadn't seen Jenny for two days, and had a weekend of wedding planning to look forward to.

"So I see you found my private wine reserve" Castle commented, noticing the missing bottle.

"Sorry - I'll be happy to pay for it. It was some of the best that I've had. But I didn't notice a label."

Castle smiled. "Detective, this is my private reserve, a wine that I couldn't possibly even sell upstairs. I'm sure you'll understand that it's quite costly."

A worried look crossed Kate's face. Had Castle found another stash of antique liquor behind these walls? A bottle could be worth more than a year's pay for her. "I'm sorry - we had no idea.". She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one.

Rick's grin grew larger as he saw her becoming flustered. He thought he'd toy with her a bit more before coming clean. "I'm sure you didn't. But I'll tell you what – share the last of the bottle with me and we'll call it even." Rick poured the last glass from the bottle and sat on the couch with her, already intoxicated by her beauty and her relaxed demeanor. They laughed about the case, and Rick shared his shock at returning home to find his mother in the arms of her 'leading man.'

"Wow Castle, to think that she'd rekindled the passions of so many years ago" Beckett said exuberantly, throwing her hand to her forehead for even more effect. "You'd better be careful – you'll get in the way of their new found happiness and he will have to have you killed for coming in between them."

Castle laughed at her remark. "As long as you investigated my murder, because I know you'd bring me justice. Just don't let Lanie do my autopsy."

Beckett laughed. "Why Castle – afraid she'd share the photos? Don't worry, I'd only allow her to if she let me assist." She blushed at her comment.

"Why Detective, if you're so interested in seeing me naked, you don't have to wait til I'm dead! You could just ask. But I don't think Dr. Motorcycle Boy would approve."

Kate's laughter calmed at the mention of Josh. "No Castle he probably wouldn't. But it would be no concern of his anymore, since we broke up a couple of weeks ago."

Castle's ears perked up. _Did she just say that they'd broken up?_ He tried to hide his enthusiasm. "I'm sorry Kate – I didn't know. When he called you this evening I noticed you were a bit reluctant to answer, but I thought that was just because I was standing there."

"No – he just can't seem to let it go. That's how I ended up here tonight – after you didn't invite me I might add. I called Lanie because I got home and he was parked outside. I didn't feel like having any more drama about how he couldn't understand what went wrong. HELLO! Every time I need you, you're half way around the world taking care of everyone else! Wow – that sounded really harsh. Is it so terrible that for once – just once – I want someone devoted to me, to take care of me?" Castle took a deep breath, thinking about exactly what he wanted to say.

Kate lifted her glass to take another sip, but realized that it was empty. "Damn – my wine is gone. THAT SUCKS!"

Rick couldn't help but snicker at her, and walked across the room to get another bottle of wine. She was going to hate him for it in the morning, but right now it seemed like she needed to unwind.

"Castle – NO – I can't afford another bottle!"

"Don't worry about it Kate – this one is on the house." As he refilled her glass, they heard footsteps coming down the steps. "We're finishing up for the night Boss. Want us to lock up out here?"

Rick kept his gaze on Kate. "Yes – please. I'll take care of everything else before we leave."

Kate looked at him as seriously as she could given her current state. "Castle, that stuff probably cost $10,000 a bottle, and this is bottle number three! I can't afford this!"

Rick looked at her, puzzled. "But there was only one bottle missing."

Kate grinned. "Yeah – well we re-corked one and put it back towards the bottom hoping you wouldn't notice."

"Ahh – so the honorable Kate Beckett has been sneaking in someone's liquor cabinet like a pro. I like it. Just remind me to not leave you alone with my good scotch."

Kate laughed at him again. Taking another sip of her wine, she commented again on it's quality. "Really Castle, this is amazing. What is it?"

Rick took extreme pleasure in watching her sip from her glass. She would never believe him unless she saw it with her own eyes, but he may have to show her again another time, because after three bottles she may not remember much about this night.

"Let me show you.". He took her hand, opened up the secret door they discovered during their investigation, and she followed him into the catacombs. She noticed a few upgrades, with old style lanterns wired to light their way. Leave it to Castle to spend such money to keep things authentic.

As they turned into the secret room, Kate was still feeling pretty tipsy. Rick heard her stumble a couple of times behind him, giggling each time. He hadn't seen her intoxicated before, and so far she was even more adorable than usual. He stopped when she entered the room, but she continued and walked straight into him, sending them both falling into the door face, their mouths in very close proximity to one another. He could feel her breath on his lips, and smell the sweet wine she'd been drinking. She giggled again at the sight of his shock, and felt what her presence had done to him. "Rick, I hope you didn't bring me all the way down here just to show me the new lights. Dark basement, no one else around. If I didn't know you better I'd question your intentions."

He stood them both up straight again. She was so close, and the wine was obviously making her a bit frisky. But he was a gentleman, and stepped away to turn on the lights in the room, revealing his newest hobby. Throughout the room sat several large bottles with some type of instrument sticking out the top, allowing bubbles to escape. Kate looked confused. "Are you playing mad scientist again Ricky?"

Her comment, and the slurred speech she said it with, caused him to chuckle again. If wine got her like this, he could only imagine what would happen with tequila!

"No Kate, it's my own private winery. I decided to try my hand after I found a neat little kit on Amazon."

The cloudiness in Kate's mind only registered one thing. "So we didn't drink away six months of my pay?"

Rick laughed. "No Kate, not even a full meal at Remy's."

"But you said that there's no way that you could sell it upstairs?"

Rick knew at that point that they needed to cease with the wine for the evening, if her grasp of the law was even becoming hazy. "That's correct. Excise would not approve of it without the proper permits. This is for personal consumption only."

Kate was astounded that he'd created such a divine product. "What kind was it? I wasn't truly apprek (hiccup) appreciating it's finer qualities earlier."

Rick smiled as he approached her. "Cherry and pomegranate. Two of my favorite fruits."

Kate giggled. "My hair smells like cherries. Here – smell." She held up a handful of her curls towards him as she inched closer to him. He noted the seriousness in her eyes and took a couple of steps back himself, until he was leaned against a wall.

With one of her hands on his chest, Rick was paralyzed. He looked at her eyes, her lips. He smelled the faded cherry scent from her shampoo that had inspired his first batch and told his muse how she'd yet again inspired him. "Yes – your hair does smell like cherries. That's why I chose them for my first batch. I added the pomegranates to give it a bit of sweetness. So you liked it?"

Kate was breathless. She'd hoped for some type of spark between them, but suddenly felt as if she'd been struck by lightening. She slowly leaned in to him, ready for a soft wet kiss.

Rick's cooler head prevailed, and though he asked himself over and over why, he stepped away from Kate's grasp and started across the room, putting a bit of distance between them.

Kate stared at him confused. "Why did you do that for?"

Rick knew better than to fall for this. As much as he'd love for it to happen, he knew that Kate was too emotional, and too drunk, to stop what she was doing. He knew that if he gave in tonight, that's all it would be.

"Kate you have no idea how much I want this right now. But I'm not going to let it happen like this. Come on, let's go." He took her hand, and noticed the confusion on her face. She followed him back out the tunnel to his office.

Once he closed and locked the tunnel, Kate spoke again. "Castle, you're really dumb. Do you know that? Here I am, giving you the opportunity that you've wanted for three freaking years, and you're turning me down. What's wrong with you?"

_Oh no,_ Castle thought. _Here we go._ "Kate, like I said, I want you. You have no idea how much I want you. But not like this. When this happens, it will be under very different circumstances. But I do have to admit, drunk Beckett is kind of cute."

Coming down from her buzz, Beckett looked at Rick. "You know, you're a very honorable man Rick Castle."

Rick smiled. "I try to be. Now come here and lay down on the couch." Rick draped a cover over her and kissed her head. He got a couple of aspirin and a bottle of water and placed them on the table next to her. He knew that she would need them in the morning. He tucked the blanket in around her to keep her warm. "Tomorrow we'll have breakfast, then see where things go from there."

Rick sat down at his desk and pulled out his computer. He had hoped to get some work done, but had no idea that he would be able to do so while watching his angelic muse sleep.

"Castle?" Kate said sleepily. "Thanks for being such a gentleman." She lay there for a few more minutes, relishing the effect that his concoction had on her. She found it quite erotic that something that he'd made brought her so much pleasure.

He must have been thinking the same thing, because he crossed the room and kissed her forehead again. He knelt down and stroked her hair. He felt her breath calm, and sat for a few minutes watching her sleep. He couldn't believe the beautiful creature that was Kate Beckett was asleep on his couch, and that he'd turned her down for the night. He could imagine what the night may have held for them, but knew that the morning would have been filled with regret. _No, _he thought. _We'll take things slow and see where they lead._

He returned to his computer, and proceeded to write out the next four love scenes for Nikki and Rook. They were all very detailed. And they all involved cherry pomegranate wine.


End file.
